Chapter 62- Earl
“You realize most of us can see in the dark, so crouching in the corner like that is really quite ridiculous.” The clacking of laughter followed.
“Spider man? I wondered when the fuck you’d show up again. I didn’t expect it to be like this. You guys planning to roll me over?”
“Not at all, but you are swift to resort to violence and we couldn’t take any chances now that you’re getting stronger. We are just here to talk, and I need your full attention, so listen carefully.”
“Nope,” I snapped. “I’m not listening to a single word you’ve got to say.”
“Earl, don’t be like that. You have not been forgotten, we merely needed to pick our time.”
“The Archons at the fight are coming back in the next few days with a mind mage to ask me questions about the Siroth and any involvement I might have with them. The more that happens here, the more I’m likely to have to lie and get caught out.”
“Oh.” That caught the clacky bastard cold. “Well, I must say, I am appreciative of the warning. Luckily for you, I am not a member of the Siroth, and the company interested in purchasing you are not part of the Siroth either.”
“Good to know,” I grunted.
“We take our leave. And if we do not speak again before the last sixteen, then I wish you luck in your fight. My employers are very pleased with your progress.”
The sounds of people attempting to leave quietly filled the dark room before the glowing magical light turned on and only Dwim remained.
He clapped his meaty hands, like I hadn’t just been jumped in his storeroom. Then with a grand sweep of his arm, he gestured to a display cabinet. “Gloves!”
“Yeah,” I grumbled. “The way you were waving your bloody arms, I thought you were about to pull a rabbit from a hat.”
“A rabbit from a hat?” he asked, puzzled. “Why would I do that?”
“Earth expression. You looked like a stage magician.”
“Ah, magic? That’s not for the likes of me. I have enough Harmony for some mid-range enchantments, but little else. I hear you are not exactly blessed in the Harmony department?”
I shrugged. “Doubt I’ll ever pull a rabbit from a hat. But… I can pull a hair from my arse and that’ll have to do.”
He doubled down on his frown as I chuckled at my joke.
Rather than trying to explain, I pointed at the cabinet. “Gloves.”
Relieved to be doing what he did best, he turned and deftly unlocked the cabinet, stepping aside with a flourish as the doors swung open.
Inside were three sets of gloves each with a written inscription.
Time Takers:
While time magic is rare and highly restricted, these gloves do not affect the universal order of things. NO! These gloves acknowledged that on a personal level, time is relative to your mental state. Pain makes time move slowly while panic makes time move fast. Both severely hinder focus.
In combat, even the most seasoned of fighters face these issues.
Which is why Time Takers are interwoven with Kava Vine and Ragda root. Both offer a calming influence when in contact with the skin without interfering with either focus or impetus.
Coupled with a Level 2 Rune of Response (Indebted), which increases your reaction time by fifty percent when activated. There is a cost, but the rewards are worth it.
Level Requirement (18)
Price Range – 100 – 180 Unitols
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Attributes:
Durability - 600 – 100%.
Comfort – 86 of 100
Special:
100% reduction in emotion-driven focus impairment.
Runes:
Level 2 Rune of Response (Indebted):
50% bonus to reaction time for 2 minutes.
Followed by a 2% penalty to reaction time for the following fifty minutes.
Cost: 20% of Mana Pool.
Hands of the Stalwart:
Padded gloves, made with Coral Stran and Pernavin, adorned with Estermite plates which are small enough to retain flexibility and overlapped closely enough to offer the maximum protection Estermite can afford.
An extra durable and flexible glove coupled with a Level 2 Rune of Power (Indebted) to draw out fifty percent strength when you need it.
There is a cost, but the rewards are worth it.
Level Requirement (18)
Price Range – 100 – 180 Unitols
Attributes:
Durability - 2200 – 100%.
Comfort – 72 of 100
Runes:
Level 2 Rune of Power (Indebted)
50% bonus to strength for 5 minutes.
Followed by a 2% penalty to reaction time for the following two hours and five minutes.
Cost: 20% of Mana Pool.
Feather hands:
Elbow length gloves that keep giving.
Known for its natural antigravity properties, the petals of the Aranthia flower have been layered throughout a Triple layer of lightweight Coral Stran, leaving your hands and forearms feeling weightless. While the effect is hardly notable when first adorned, the true joy in Feather hands is when you’re still happily swinging your weapon/tool an hour later.
Coupled with a Level 2 Rune of Power (Indebted) to draw out fifty percent strength when you need it.
There is a cost, but the rewards are worth it.
Level Requirement (18)
Price Range – 100 – 180 Unitols
Attributes:
Durability - 800 – 100%.
Comfort – 96 of 100
Runes:
Level 2 Rune of Power (Indebted)
50% bonus to strength for 5 minutes.
Followed by a 2% penalty to reaction time for the following two hours and five minutes.
Cost: 20% of Mana Pool.
I whistled softly, then eyed the prices and whistled again. “Those prices seem pretty damn low, considering how much better they are than the Labor of gloves.”
He grinned. “For very good reason. Idiots overpay for fashionable accessories and right now, those gloves are fashionable. When you pick your new set, I’d recommend buying a few pairs if you really want them. Because with your growing popularity, I imagine whatever you choose, you won’t be able to afford the next time you come.”
“You crafty bastard,” I chuckled, then pointed at the Hands of the Stalwart. “I’ll have those.”
Those meaty hands of his clapped together again. “Excellent choice, Earl! They will provide far more protection than you currently have, and that extra oomph in strength when you need it. Now come, let us look at some boots I kept aside for you.”
I looked down at my sandals, wiggling my toes. “I’m definitely due some new footwear,”
With a wave of his hand, we set off to another room. It had a more industrial feel, and I was led to a row of shelves where five pairs of boots lay in wait.
“While you look over these, I’ll sew up the middle finger for you. Unless you want it removed entirely?”
“Don’t bother. The Able’s supposed to be putting them back for me. Getting hold of the bastard to do it is a little more difficult. Seems it’s not a priority of his.”
“I can just roll up the fingers and tack them in place so they’re not hanging loose. It would be a simple case of you cutting the additional stitches once you’re healed.”
I thought about it for a second and decided it wasn’t such a bad idea. “Fair enough.”
As he headed off, I cast my eyes over the boots. The first two where good sturdy boots. Thick soled and tough leather. They had no runes or special stats, but they had good defensive and stability stats. I lifted them up and found them to be far too heavy. Without some kind of counter stat for that weight, they were an instant dismissal.
The next two of the pair I looked at were much lighter. More like trainer boots, with a natural curve to their thin soles, and stats that lent more to Agility and Speed. The defense on both was pretty poor.
Finally, I checked over the pair in the middle. Decent defense, decent strength, decent agility, decent speed. A good all-rounder boot. I lingered on them for a while. Then returned to one of the lighter boots. Fuck defense on my feet. Their job was to carry my fists closer to their target as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Dwim’s bushy eyebrows danced like hungry caterpillars at my decision. “You sure, Earl? One misstep and you could lose a foot.”
I pointed to my current footwear. “I’ve been dancing around in fucking sandals, Dwim. I’m sure.”
“Very well. Then to the weapons! You can use your own in the arena now.”
I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks. Just the boots and one pair of the gloves for me, please. And make sure you have something even better for me next time I need a pair. If you can mix Feather Hands and Stalwart together, with the grip strength form Labor of gloves, that’d be awesome.”
The Grunir was clearly disappointed in my decision. “You don’t know what you’re missing, Earl. At least cast your eyes over what I’ve got. I’ve pulled out what I think would suit your style perfectly.
“I don’t have a style other than win by whatever means necessary, and I really don’t have that much money to burn.”
“Deals can be done,” he said, laying a hand on my shoulder.
I felt an overwhelming urge to uppercut the bastard, and keep punching him until he stopped twitching. It must have shown in my eyes.
He stepped back, removing the offending digits. “Maybe you’ll have a look in a few days, huh? I expect you’ll be back.”
The red mist cleared, and I nodded with a smile. “I expect I will.”
